The wonderful authors just keep coming. A luscious talk with Cora Blu.

I absolutely believe I am one of the luckiest people around. I have the pleasure of talking to wonderful authors both new and established. Gimme a minute I need to compose myself. Sorry, but I tend to get excited. I love books as I’m sure most of you do so my excitement tends to escape it’s containment when I get the chance to talk to others about the written word. Let me tell you I am finding some amazing writers out and about too. I was fortunate enough this time to interview Cora Blu and she did something so totally awesome. We get the opportunity to check out two of her book covers and a great excerpt. Those closest to me know all about my cover art addiction. Honestly my book budget would be crying but what can I say, I shot that baby months ago. Join me in welcoming Cora and don’t hesitate to tell us what you think about the art and excerpt she is sharing with us.

Thank you Cora for the opportunity to get to know you better.

Thank you for hosting me today. My name is Cora Blu and I write Underwater Fantasy Romance and Contemporary Interracial Romance. Family is always at the center of my stories. Now on with the interview questions.

1) Out of your published stories, which hero is your favorite?

Dagger, from my Brothers of Element Series, no question. Atlantic Ocean King. Tiger shark shifter. He’s arrogant, but adores Drew my heroine and has a soft spot for the children of the clan.

“Gentleman, wake my mate and my retaliation will be uncontrolled,”… The quiet became louder than the voices.

2) How do you come up with the titles of your books?

In my Brothers of Element Series, the books are named after the hero. They protect the shifters power to shift so their mother named them after parts of a weapon. Dagger, Blade, Ridge, Edge, Tipp and Dirk. My Midnight Moaning Collection, the overall conflict secedes the titles.

3) What are some of the challenges you’ve faced as a writer?

Walking away from the keyboard is the biggest. With a family, quality time is everything. Learning to feed my support system, my hubby, is very important. We’ve been together since we were five years old, forty years ago. Not allowing that relationship to suffer is more important than being seen on any media site every hour. Any writing challenge and he’s there to support… or massage my shoulders.

4) Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Amanda Quick. Instantly I like her characters. KarenWhite-Owens. Her writing is clean, emotional and she fits family into her stories.

5) Do you have a favorite out of the books you have written?

Dagger, because it’s the first in the series. The book holds clues to the next book “Blade”, which excited me just rough drafting them out. The underwater research was addictive and then a friend sent me diving videos of him and tiger sharks and I fell in love with tiger sharks.

6) If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Laurell K Hamilton because her shifters have great personalities. And Diana Gabaldon’s series. The characters grow right before your eyes. They’re three-dimensional characters with a variety of backgrounds and reasons for being there. That’s what I hope to bring to my reading audience.

7) What’s your favorite dish for Thanksgiving?

Don’t have one.

8) Do you have a particular Thanksgiving tradition?

No. Letting those around you know you appreciate them in your live is a year round requirement in our family. Having family all around the country and the world we send out family newsletters. Nice to get something loving in the mail to place on the table.

9) Let’s talk cover art. Do you have a favorite cover for one of your books?

My latest “The Man He’ll Never Be” I was able to interact with the models that posed for it. Their scene was pulled right from the beginning of the book and the photographer, Taria Reed, was a dream to work with. On her site, you can see pictures from the shoot.  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.512517892108933.130600.125489914145068&type=1

10) If you had to choose would you eat a slice of sweet potato pie or pumpkin pie?

Neither. But a plain baked sweet potato… hot out the oven, scrumptious. There’s a scene in “The Man He’ll Never Be” that involves a sweet potato I just love.

Thank you for allowing your readers to get to know my writing and me. My books are available in ebook and paperback.

I’m also looking for recipes for my meal fusion blog. What do you serve to bring together your interracial/ multicultural homes? Would love to showcase some of your readers recipes and stories.

www.corablu.com/blog

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Stranded but not Alone Excerpt: Nightfall in the cabin Seth and Simone began to form friendship.

“You were telling me about your brother,” Simone said.

He nodded. “When we were born the doctors informed my parent’s one of their boys was stillborn.” He paused as Simone clutched her stomach and closed her eyes.

“That’s terrible. I’m sorry finish what you were saying,” she said, visibly swallowing back some emotion.

“This happened in Russia thirty years ago. Two years ago, my mother watched a news report where the same doctor was charged with baby trafficking. After months of research, we found that my brother was one of the babies stolen.

“That’s wild…” she said, relaxing on her elbows, her face tilted up, giving him full attention. “What did the news say happened?”

“A Russian newspaper ran the story of a local nurse caught in the trafficking business was to have the charges dropped against her. Turns out my mother recognized her face and contacted the authorities. The case was reopened when more people came forward.”

“After thirty years? Isn’t there a statute of limitation on things like this? How many families were even involved?”

“To be honest, Simone, I don’t care about the legalities of it all. Let the authorities handle that. I just wanna find my brother.”

“So why didn’t he come down to the hotel instead of having you trek all the way up here? And if he’s expecting you, then he’ll come looking for you when you don’t show up tonight.”

He couldn’t help noticing the swell of her hip jutting out as she leaned over the counter and opened her laptop. Moisture built in his mouth while thinking of sharing the bed with her tonight. Her legs wedged between his. Those soft breasts pressed to his chest. He ran his fingers through his hair to regain his focus as she cleared her throat.

“Seth, are you listening to anything I’m saying?” she asked, tapping his foot with hers.

He hooked his ankle around hers and ran his bare feet over her skin. He caught her soft hiss as she pretended not to notice the way he played with her.

“My brother, Mikhail, doesn’t know I exist.”

“You know his name. Why doesn’t he know about you?”

He relaxed his shoulders, watched her eyes work over the tight sweater stretched across his chest, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. “Some of the families knew the children were stolen.”

“And you think his family knows the truth about his illegal adoption?”

“What would you conclude when many families refuse to come forward—to speak out?”

Seth leaned in as Simone turned at the waist and leaned back along the hard edge. This woman was beautiful. Boxy sweater and tight jeans made her sexier than he had first thought. She flashed warm, brown eyes up to him.

“They own the hiking lodge at the top of the mountain, don’t they?”

“Yes,” he said, brushing thick soft hair off the tip of her ear and tucking it back. Simone was so different from the women he’d known over the last few years. She was soft. A woman who was caring, loving, and everything he steered away from. That sort of woman was more than he deserved.

http://amzn.com/B008NNSSBO “Stranded but not Alone” Contemporary Interracial Romance

http://amzn.com/B007748JTG “Dagger” Brothers of Element series. Fantasy